Ichigo Kurosaki
Ichigo Kurosaki (黒崎 一護, Kurosaki Ichigo) is a Human who has Shinigami powers. He is also a Substitute Shinigami. Ichigo is the son of Isshin and Masaki Kurosaki, and older brother of Karin and Yuzu. AppearanceEdit Ichigo's most distinguishing feature is his spiky orange hair, a trait he has been ridiculed about for years on end. He is a fairly tall, lean-built young man with peach skin and brown eyes. He likes to wear tight clothes.6 He has a tendency to wear shirts patterned with the number 15 because his name is a homonym for the number.7 Since becoming a Shinigami, he has become noticeably more muscular, as noted by his sister Karin.8 When in his spiritual form, Ichigo wears the standard Shinigami attire, with the addition of a strap across his chest. Initially, it was a thick brown belt to hold his Zanpakutō sheath, but it later became a red rosary-like strap.9 It is shaped like a kite with a flat top and bottom.10 Ichigo's appearance has caused several people, including Jūshirō Ukitake, to note a similarity to Kaien Shiba, the former lieutenant of the 13th Division.11 After training in the Dangai, Ichigo's hair grows considerably, and he is noticeably taller, as stated by his friends.12 After Ichigo loses his Shinigami powers, his appearance reverts to the way it was before his Dangai training.13 Seventeen months after defeating Aizen, Ichigo's overall appearance does not change, but he becomes taller and grows sideburns.14 After regaining his powers, Ichigo's Shinigami attire consists of a thicker strap across his chest. He has four black vertical lines on his forearms and black, tattoo-like bands crossing over his chest, wrists, and ankles. Similar bands, but with white ends, lie around his neck as collars.15 After training at the Soul King Palace, Ichigo wears his standard black shihakushō, but with some notable changes: he has two white shoulder plates crossing his chest in an X shape that hold his Shikai blades in place, with the plate on his left shoulder having three sections adorned with red scales,16 and a white cloak with black markings tied around his waist.17 PersonalityEdit When he was younger, Ichigo considered his mother to be the center of his world, always smiling when he was with Masaki and regularly holding her hand.18 Despite crying whenever he lost in a match at the dojo he attended, Ichigo started to smile again as soon as he saw Masaki when she came to pick him up.19 At a very young age, Ichigo heard his father saying his name means "to protect one thing," which instilled in him a desire to protect his mother. When his sisters were born, he began attending a dojo for the sake of protecting them. Since then, the number of people he wishes to protect has continued to grow, causing Ichigo to risk his life to protect both the people close to him and complete strangers.202122 As a teenager, Ichigo is stubborn, short-tempered, strong-willed, and impulsive.2324 Despite claiming not to care about what other people think about him, he attempts to maintain a detached and "cool" image.25 He generally keeps his face set in a near-permanent scowl, with his eyebrows drawn together.26 His outspoken, hot-headed demeanor is a trait Ichigo himself has acknowledged, and if somebody picks a fight with him, he cannot help fighting back. He coldly refers to his teachers as "instructors".27 He is genuinely compassionate and empathetic towards others, promising to bring a Plus flowers28 and a toy plane,29 or soothing others when they become upset.30 Ichigo is a capable student, ranked 23rd in his year at school, who studies regularly and does not neglect his schoolwork.31 He works as hard as he does to overcome the misconceptions many have about him based on his hair color and fighting.32 Ichigo hates fortune telling, horoscopes, feng shui, psychics, and anyone whose trade involves taking money from people for things they cannot see.33 He has difficulty remembering people's faces and names.343536 Ichigo becomes extremely shy and uncomfortable around nude or immodestly dressed women, a fact both Yoruichi Shihōin and Rangiku Matsumoto have teased him for.373839 Ichigo is often disrespectful when talking to those older than himself, calling Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto"gramps" and referring to several of the Shinigami captains by their given names without using honorifics.4041424344 When it comes to fighting, Ichigo has a complex sense of honor; he regularly seeks to exact revenge for the cruel actions of his opponent, such as instilling the fear of being murdered in Shrieker and cutting off the right arm of Yammy Llargo in retaliation for him ripping Yasutora Sado's right arm off.4546 He often taunts and belittles his opponents when fighting, sometimes attacking without warning.47 Ichigo has a strong desire to win his fights, but in what he views as a legitimate manner.48 To this end, he has often refused the aid of his inner Hollow, even when knowing it would allow him to win.49 Ichigo's resolve in battle can waver at times, which can impede his fighting prowess, and goes into a state of depression and self-loathing when he loses a major battle or lets a friend down.50 Ichigo despises those who mistreat their allies in any way, even if they are his own enemies. He is disgusted when an individual berates his/her own allies, such as when Yammy calls Ulquiorra Cifer, Nnoitra Gilga, and Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez "trash".51 He expresses anger towards those who go as far as attacking their own allies, stating he cannot forgive those who murder their own comrades.52 HistoryEdit Ichigo was born on July 15th as the son of Isshin Kurosaki and Masaki Kurosaki, 15 years before he became a Shinigami. His sisters Karin Kurosaki and Yuzu Kurosaki were born a few years later. When he was four, Ichigo joined a karate dojo, where he met and befriended Tatsuki Arisawa. Though Tatsuki beat Ichigo in every match they had, she would help Ichigo if he was being picked on by bullies and cheer him up if he was upset.19 Ichigo was able to see Pluses for as long as he could remember.5354 He could see them so clearly, as a child, he could not tell the living from the dead. This resulted in him appearing to other people to be looking at deserted places and talking to himself. This caused people to say he could see ghosts, though when Tatsuki asked him about this, he denied being able to see them.55 On June 17th, when Ichigo was nine years old, he and his mother were walking home alongside one of Karakura Town's rivers, which was swollen from heavy rain. Seeing a girl near the river, Ichigo thought she was about to jump into it. Unable to tell the difference between ghosts and living people, Ichigo ran towards her to stop her, unaware the girl was the lure of the HollowGrand Fisher. Masaki tried to stop him, but he did not listen. After failing to grab hold of the girl, Ichigo lost consciousness for a time. When he awoke, Masaki was lying on top of him, covered in blood.56 Starting the day after Masaki's death, Ichigo repeatedly skipped school to go to the riverbank where Masaki died. Tatsuki found him there, where he would stay from morning until night, wandering along the bank as if searching for his mother, squatting down if he was tired and then wandering some more.57 One day, when Ichigo was twelve, prior to the Kurosaki Clinic opening, he heard the bell ring and answered the door to find a girl with her brother on her back. He had been in a car accident, and was covered in blood. The clinic did not have the equipment necessary to save him, and he died before an ambulance arrived to transfer him to Karakura Hospital. Sometime later, he learned the girl was Orihime Inoue.58 Ichigo later entered Mashiba Junior High School. During this time, Ichigo finally defeated Tatsuki in a karate match, and had not had another match with her since.59 Ichigo regularly got into fights with thugs, due to the unusual color of his hair.27 During one of these fights, he received help from Yasutora Sado. Shortly after, Ichigo returned the favor when he rescued Sado from two gang members roughing him up.60 When the thugs later abducted Sado, Ichigo found them and knocked down their leader,Yokochini. Using Yokochini's phone to ring for an ambulance for each of the five thugs, he beat up all of them. After Sado was freed, they made a pact to protect and fight for each other.61 Shortly before Ichigo became a Shinigami, he and Sado began attending Karakura High School, and their reputations preceded them. During a fight with a gang led by Reiichi Ōshima, Ichigo and Sado met Keigo Asano and Mizuiro Kojima, saving the former in the process. While Keigo was initially afraid of Ichigo and Sado, both he and Mizuiro later became friends with them.62 PlotEdit Agent of the Shinigami arcEdit Soul Society arcEdit Bount arc (anime only)Edit Note: Events occurring in this arc are only in the anime and do not constitute canon material. Click "show" to read the arc plot. show Arrancar arcEdit Hueco Mundo arcEdit The New Captain Shūsuke Amagai arc (anime only)Edit Note: Events occurring in this arc are only in the anime and do not constitute canon material. Click "show" to read the arc plot. show Fake Karakura Town arcEdit Zanpakutō Unknown Tales arc (anime only)Edit Note: Events occurring in this arc are only in the anime and do not constitute canon material. Click "show" to read the arc plot. show Beast Swords arc (anime only)Edit Note: Events occurring in this arc are only in the anime and do not constitute canon material. Click "show" to read the arc plot. show Gotei 13 Invading Army arc (anime only)Edit Note: Events occurring in this arc are only in the anime and do not constitute canon material. Click "show" to read the arc plot. show The Lost Substitute Shinigami arcEdit The Thousand-Year Blood War arcEdit When Ryūnosuke Yuki is attacked by Hollows, Ichigo saves him and, along with Orihime, Uryū, and Sado, defeats the Hollows.431 Later, after Ichigo fights Asguiaro Ebern, who speaks of stealing Ichigo's Bankai,432433434435436 Yuki returns to Soul Society for Chōjirō's funeral. Later, Nel Tu and Pesche arrive in the Human World in order to request Ichigo's aid.437 After Uryū declines to come with them, Ichigo, Orihime, Sado and Urahara travel to Hueco Mundo in order to investigate.438 Upon arriving, they witness the slaughter and destruction left in the wake of the Wandenreich.439 Coming across a Wandenreich camp, Ichigo and the others watch as the Tres Bestias intervene in the Wandenreich's selection of Arrancar soldiers. After the Tres Bestias are defeated,440441 Ichigo fights Quilge Opie as Orihime tends to the wounded. Later, after Quilge activates Quincy: Vollständig, the Tres Bestias regain consciousness and unleash Ayon against him.442443 When Quilge absorbs Ayon with Sklaverei and begins to absorb Orihime and the others, Ichigo activates his Bankai and attacks him.444 As the fight progresses, Quilge is overwhelmed by Ichigo and desperately attempts to steal his Bankai, only to discover he is unable to do so. Eventually, Urahara is contacted by Akon and informs Ichigo the Wandenreich is currently attacking Soul Society.445 As Ichigo travels through a Garganta opened by Urahara, Akon informs him of the situation in Soul Society. When Quilge traps him in a Reishi prison, Ichigo loses contact with Akon and is unable to free himself.446447448449 Eventually, Akon frees Ichigo, who enters Soul Society and travels to a heavily wounded Byakuya's location. After Byakuya begs him to save Soul Society, Ichigo confronts Yhwach.450 Upon learning Yhwach is the one who ordered the destruction of the Seireitei, an enraged Ichigo attacks him, only to be taken down with ease. Upon stabbing Ichigo, a surprised Yhwach witnesses Ichigo using Blut Vene as Ichigo engulfs him in a blast of Reiatsu.451 Emerging from this, Yhwach informs Ichigo that Quilge's cage was not meant to hold a Quincy. Hinting at a secret regarding Masaki, Yhwach attempts to subdue Ichigo once more, only to be stopped by "shadows". When Ichigo attempts to stop Yhwach from leaving, Jugram Haschwalth cuts the blade of Tensa Zangetsu in two.452 Afterwards, Ichigo visits a wounded Rukia and Renji in the hospital before being summoned to the 12th Division,453 After Mayuri reveals a broken Bankai can never be fixed, Ichigo witnesses the arrival of the Royal Guard,454who take him to the Soul King Palace in order to reforge his Bankai.455456 After being healed by Tenjirō Kirinji's hot springs457458 and having his power restored and increased by Kirio Hikifune's food,459 Ichigo travels to Ōetsu Nimaiya's palace, where he and Renji are forced to fight the Asauchi in order to have their Zanpakutō reforged.460 Three days later, Ichigo has failed to defeat the Asauchi and is sent back to the Human World by Nimaiya.461 After Ikumi takes him in, Ichigo is found by Isshin, who tells him how he met Masaki and reveals the circumstances surrounding her death.462463464 Afterwards, Ichigo returns to Nimaiya's palace, where he chooses an Asauchi who resembles Ichigo's inner Hollow.465 Traveling to Nimaiya's forge,466 Ichigo watches as Nimaiya's bodyguards help him forge Ichigo's new Zanpakutō. When he questions Nimaiya about the nature of his forging, Ichigo learns the being who claimed to be Zangetsu is actually his Quincy powers and heavily resembles Yhwach from 1000 years ago.467 Entering his inner world, Ichigo demands answers from the being he knows as Zangetsu, who reveals Hollow Ichigo is Ichigo's true Zanpakutō, whom he has been mostly suppressing. Afterwards, he allows Ichigo to access the full power of his true Zanpakutō.468 In the real world, Ichigo grabs his new Zanpakutō while it is being forged, which Nimaiya allows. After a burst of heat, Ichigo stands with his new Zanpakutō, which is now comprised of two distinct blades, and acknowledges both his Quincy powers and the real Zangetsu as being his Zanpakutō.469 Ichigo later contacts Urahara.470 When Kirinji asks him if he is ready, Ichigo, now wearing new clothes, confirms this. Looking around, a surprised Ichigo asks Kirinji and Senjumaru where the Tenchuren is, prompting Kirinji to reveal they are walking. As Senjumaru manifests a flight of spiral stairs below the platform they are standing on, Kirinji tells Ichigo he will have to use the stairs instead of the Tenchuren and waits for Ichigo to express shock, only for Ichigo to state this is okay. As Ichigo says it should only take him half a day to reach the Seireitei if he hurries, Ichibei laughs and notes Ichigo no longer overreacts before revealing the Wandenreich has already begun attacking the Seireitei. Launching himself down the stairs, an irritated Ichigo tells Ichibei to tell him about these things sooner. Calling after him, Hikifune throws a package toward Ichigo and tells him it is a rice ball for him to eat if he gets hungry on the way to the Seireitei. Saying he will eat it if he gets hungry while fighting, Ichigo thanks Hikifune.471 Telling Urahara it will take some time for him to get there, Ichigo asks him to resist until he arrives even if the fight gets tough. As Urahara confirms this, Ichigo notes Urahara did not say anything about the Seireitei's current condition and rockets forward.472 While Giselle Gewelle, Liltotto Lamperd, Candice Catnipp andMeninas McAllon are trying to finish off the defeated Kenpachi Zaraki, Ichigo arrives in Seireitei and smashes through a nearby tower. Bypassing the Sternritter, he goes to Kenpachi's side and comments on Zaraki's condition. Zaraki asks him what he came there for, with Ichigo replying that he came there to help him.473 When Ichigo asks Kenpachi if he can stand, Kenpachi notes Ichigo should be looking out for himself. Candice attacks him, but Ichigo grabs her arm and throws her into a building before repeating the process with Liltotto, Meninas, and Giselle. As Liltotto notes she expected this kind of power from a Special War Potential, an enraged Candice proclaims she will never forgive Ichigo for ruining her appearance and summons her bow before using Galvano Blast, which fires a 5 gigajoule blast of electricity at Ichigo. However, Ichigo emerges unharmed with his cape missing, notes that he will not have as much trouble fighting the girls as he thought he would, and prepares to take them on.474 After effortlessly repelling the Heilig Pfeil of all four Sternritter, Ichigo is attacked by Candice, who has activated her Quincy: Vollständig and created Reishi swords to clash with him. When Ichigo notes they are a perfect match because they both wield two swords, Candice claims she is actually using six swords and pushing Ichigo back before throwing her Galvano Javelin at him. In response, Ichigo unleashes a Getsuga Tenshō, which cancels out the attack. Enraged by Ichigo's nonchalant facial expression, Candice summons a massive amount of electricity and tells Ichigo to save the smug look for when he survives her next attack before unleashing'Electrocution' upon him. However, Ichigo merely crosses the path of his sword swings and fires'Getsuga Jūjishō' at the oncoming blast.475 When Candice attempts to counter his attack, Ichigo yells at her to get out of the way.476 Surprised when Bazz-B pierces Candice and the other three Sternritter with Burner Finger 1, Ichigo prepares to fight eight Sternritter at once before being startled by a column of light piercing the heavens behind him.477 As Ichigo turns to face the column of light, Yhwach begins speaking to him and describes how Ichigo's new clothes are made out of the bones and hair of Royal Guard members, granting him immense defensive power that allowed him to break through the 72 barriers between Soul Society and the Soul King Palace. However, Yhwach reveals that these barriers will remain open for 6000 seconds after being broken, causing Ichigo to realize what he is planning. When Ichigo leaps forward, Meninas appears and drives him through several buildings before noting the Sternritter will not simply let him leave. Ichigo breaks free, only for NaNaNa Najahkoop to leap toward him and drive his fists into the ground. As Ichigo dodges, the Unnamed Male Sternritterputs his gun to Ichigo's head and commends him for surviving a direct attack from Meninas before firing. Ichigo manages to push his gun aside, but Bazz-B catches him and fires Burner Finger 1. However, Renji appears, deflects the attack with Zabimaru, and tells Ichigo to get to Yhwach, prompting Ichigo to leave as the Sternritter are intercepted by several other Shinigami.478 As Ichigo rushes toward the tower where Yhwach is located, Uryū fires a Heilig Pfeil at him, prompting Ichigo to deflect it before realizing who fired it. Uryū tells him to go home as Ichigo expresses shock and wonders why Uryū is there. When Uryū states he cannot defeat Yhwach, Ichigo demands to know why he is there, but Uryū unleashes Licht Regen on him. However, Santen Kesshun blocks the barrage as Orihime and Sado emerge from a Garganta. As Uryū vanishes alongside Yhwach and Haschwalth in a flash of light, Ichigo continues to call out to him.479 When a massive explosion occurs at the site of the departure, Orihime shields herself, Ichigo, and Sado with Santen Kesshun. Upon seeing Ichigo's distraught expression, Sado throws him into a building and demands to know what he is doing before pointing out how Uryū must have thought deeply about his decision before making it, which calms Ichigo down. As Ichigo and Sado discuss how they will take Uryū back, they are interrupted by Urahara, who offers to take Ichigo to the Soul King Palace.480 Urahara takes Ichigo and his friends to the basement of the 12th Division, where a replica of Kūkaku's cannon has been built. When Urahara explains how Mayuri built it after predicting something like this would occur, Ichigo admits this is amazing before stating he just thought Mayuri was crazy. Ichigo expresses shock when Urahara reveals the replica will break after firing just once. Sado then points out Orihime's clothes to a shocked Ichigo, who states he thinks she is showing a bit too much. However, Yoruichi appears and slaps Ichigo before scolding him for thinking Orihime had a choice in the matter. When Yoruichi reveals a set of bottles underneath her cloak, Urahara explains to Ichigo and his friends how she collected a large amount of energy from closing the distortion between worlds before telling them to prepare to go to the Soul King Palace.481 EquipmentEdit * Substitute Shinigami Badge (代行証 死神代行, Daikōshō Shinigami Daikō): Given to Ichigo by Ukitake before leaving Soul Society for the first time, the pendant he commonly carries on his belt signifies his position as a Substitute Shinigami, allowing him to remain active in the Human World.176177 The pendant gives Ichigo the ability to separate his soul from his body in the absence of Rukia's glove or Kon. It alerts him to the presence of Hollows in Karakura Town, much like Rukia's Denreishinki. Ukitake informs Ichigo the badge can also be dangerous, and thus it has built-in protection making it invisible to normal Humans.482483 Zennosuke Kurumadani tells Ichigo he has never heard of his "Seal of Approval", causing Ichigo to refer to it as useless before Shinji's arrival.484 When Ichigo loses his powers, all of the mentioned abilities of the badge are lost as well.485Kūgo Ginjō tells Ichigo the true purpose of the badge is to observe and restrict the owner. It is at once a surveillance device for Soul Society and a device to absorb, analyze, and control the user's Reiatsu. It is also a device for communicating with Soul Society, as Ichigo could hear Rukia's voice coming from it. As the badge absorbed and stored Ichigo's Reiatsu, Ichigo used it as his Fullbring focus.486 * Protective Charm: A Kidō-based charm given to him by his father. If the owner is attacked by hostile forces, it acts as a defense by forming a barrier, as displayed when Kon (while in Ichigo's body) was attacked by the Arrancar Grand Fisher. Ichigo was unaware of the charm's power, and was told it once belonged to his mother. The latter is proven to be a lie, as Isshin later reveals he created the charm recently.487488489 * Ōken Clothing: After training with the Royal Guard, Ichigo dons special clothing in order to safely return to the Seireitei. These clothes are made from the bones and hair of the members of the Royal Guard, and they possess incredible defensive power, allowing Ichigo to withstand the friction that results from breaking through the 72 barriers between Soul Society and the Soul King Palace without suffering any damage; Yhwach notes that no Shinigami could hope to wear greater garb.490These clothes take the form of a white cloth, a floral-patterned bandanna, and a black cloth around the top of Ichigo's head; large, black-outlined weights on either shoulder; a long, double-breasted white cloak; a black sash and a floral-patterned strip of fabric around his waist; and white pants.491 They are destroyed when Candice Catnipp attacks Ichigo with'Galvano Blast'.492 Powers & AbilitiesEdit Natural AbilitiesEdit Expert Hand-to-Hand Combatant: Physically, Ichigo's Human body is in top form. Ichigo has been trained in martial arts since he was a small child, both professionally and by his father. He has repeatedly shown great agility and coordination in his attacks. In addition to having powerful kicks and punches, Ichigo is proficient in counterattacks, takedowns, and body locks. He has repeatedly caught an opponent's weapon strikes with a single hand.493 He effortlessly defeats multiple bullies and gangsters on a regular basis, and is a better martial artist than Tatsuki Arisawa, who is ranked the second strongest girl in all of Japan despite her fighting with a broken arm. He effortlessly knocked out three lieutenants in rapid succession, while bare-handed, with a single strike each.494 While he has stopped training, constant attacks from bullies and his father keep his skills fresh. Enhanced Strength: Even while not in his Shinigami form, Ichigo is deceptively strong, smashing a man's head through a concrete road with a single kick,495 and later kicking Asguiaro Ebern from his bedroom into the street without injuring his leg from the man's Hierro.496 Enhanced Speed & Reflexes: Even before learning Shunpo, Ichigo is a very fast and agile fighter. Ichigo possesses great reflexes, dodging a strike with no wasted effort and immediately counterattacking.497 He can strike quickly, without warning, and in rapid succession.498 His speed allows him to follow the movements of faster opponents to better analyze their movements, and block otherwise fatal strikes.499 Even when struck by surprise by Tenjirō Kirinji, who is fast enough to outpaceSuì-Fēng, Ichigo counterattacked and injured said attacker without anybody else noticing.500 Ichigo managed to dodge a surprise point-blank shot to the head and attempt to perform a counter against the Unnamed Male Sternritter who was fast enough to match and pressure a fast Captain such as Shunsui in terms of speed.501 Enhanced Durability: While only a teenage Human, Ichigo is a highly resilient young man, safely breaking free from a binding spell (albeit a low-level one) and withstanding an assault from a large Hollow.495 Advanced Growth Rate: According to both Aizen and Urahara, Ichigo's most astounding ability is his growth rate; he grasps the basic control of advanced techniques in days where it would take several years for even the most gifted Shinigami. Shortly after gaining Shinigami powers and with no previous training, he began learning advanced spiritual energy sensing techniques by sheer instinct. While it takes most Shinigami at least 10 years to achieve Bankai, he did so in two days (albeit with the assistance of a special device invented by Urahara which was originally intended for three days).502503 He gains considerable experience in the use of Shunpo while training with Yoruichi, which was done over the same period as his Bankai.504 Besides his improvements in his Shinigami abilities, Ichigo greatly increased the time he could maintain his Hollow mask, from eleven seconds to considerably longer amounts of time. During his first fight with Ulquiorra, he is instantly incapacitated by one Cero blast, even with his Hollow mask (which broke within a second), but only a few hours later, he withstands another Cero from Ulquiorra without undergoing Hollowfication, and can analyze Ulquiorra's movements much better than before, when he had "felt like he was fighting a machine or a statue" and failed to predict and counter his attacks.505506 Keen Intellect: Despite his somewhat punkish attitude, Ichigo is analytical, perceptive, and deductive. In his high school, Ichigo's grades are almost always near the top, despite his work as a Substitute Shinigami. Aside from that, Ichigo can determine the pattern of his opponent's battle methods and form a proper counter-strategy to defeat his opponent's attacks. Spiritual Awareness: Since he was a child, Ichigo has had an innate ability to clearly see spiritual beings and sense their presence. After becoming a Shinigami, his senses have continued to improve with time, learning various advanced sensing techniques, such as using a spirit ribbon to find Yūichi Shibata (in bird form).507 Even from a considerable distance, he can detect the condition of a being with spiritual power. During his intense fight against Kenpachi Zaraki, he clearly sensed and recognized Sado's energy signature even as it weakened, despite the considerable distance between them.